A few weeks back I finally made it to the theater (slim pickings lately at the box office) and caught the long-delayed The Adjustment Bureau. The film is based off of a short story by Philip K. Dick, whose stories have also been turned into films such Minority Report and I, Robot. However, unlike many of the previous adaptations of his works, this film doesn't focus as much on the sci-fi and scares. Instead, this film is much more about love, destiny, and humanity.
Matt Damon stars as David Norris, a young politician running for New York Senator. While his political future has a lot of promise, he's also had some obstacles thrown in his way preventing him from achieving more sooner. David's bid for senate is thwarted due to a last-minute scandal, however the night isn't a complete disaster. While working on his concession speech in a bathroom, he meets Elise (played by Emily Blunt). It's an odd meeting, but the two instantly hit it off. This is such a critical scene for the film. Through this initial meeting, the audience has to buy into their chemistry otherwise the rest of the film, which centers around a secretive group trying to prevent them from being together, doesn't work.
Thankfully, for the film, the scene does work and the connection these two have is palpable. Both actors play their roles just right. Damon is the golden boy with just the right level of vulnerability to make him likable. And Blunt gives off a wonderful level of sexiness thanks to her balance of British civility and wild child allure. You want to see these two together and when they are, the film's energy increases ten-fold.
Of course, having them immediately get together wouldn't be much of a story. The obstacle to their love is a mysterious group of fedora clad men who seemingly have special abilities. They can freeze time, make things move with a flick of their hand and go through any door and be exactly where they want to be. One of these men (Anthony Mackie from The Hurt Locker) is assigned specifically to watch over David, but doesn't always get the job done. Mad Men's John Slattery is another member of this group who tells David that him and Elise being together is not part of the plan. The most interesting member of this adjustment bureau is Terence Stamp, who plays Thompson, an elder statesman of the group who's called in when things start to get out of hand. He adds a needed level of gravitas to both the group and the film. His scenes are fascinating as he displays a level of calm and composure, with an underlying level of menace as David and Elise continue to mess their supposed destiny.
This theme of destiny, depending on your philosophical beliefs, will likely have some feeling uneasy or incredulous as they watch the film's plot unfold. It's not the easiest sell, but I think if you can look past it, you'll be better off for it. The winning chemistry that Damon and Blunt have make you root for them and hope they wind up together regardless of if it's their destiny or not. Without divulging too much about the film's finish I will say that I was slightly disappointed. It attempts to offer up a happy ending without really giving us any answers. The fact that this isn't just a love story makes that frustrating. Why bother adding in this mysterious group to the mix if you're not going to unpack that mystery for the audience.
Still, there is enough that the film does offer that makes this worthwhile. There is enough mystery/sci-fi elements to make guys want to stick around and women will really appreciate the love story. The commercials have been somewhat misleading as to the true nature of this film, so if you're trying to convince the opposite sex in joining you to see this, they have my word that they'll enjoy this. Often movies that have their release date pushed back multiple times are doomed to fail, so I'm glad to see that this film's destiny was to be good, regardless of when it finally got released. Grade: B
No comments:
Post a Comment